Ishu Kataria

Dr. Ishu Kataria is a Senior Public Health Researcher at RTI International and a Visiting Scientist at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). She specializes in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), cancer prevention and control, and adolescent health. Dr. Kataria has a strong commitment to global health initiatives and has made significant contributions as a commissioner for the Lancet Commission on Women, Power, and Cancer, and as a board member for NCD Alliance. She also advises CRUK's International Cancer Prevention Programme and serves as a steering group member for the WHO's Global Coordination Mechanism on NCDs. Dr. Kataria's work includes designing and implementing health interventions, leading advocacy campaigns, and building capacity in low- and middle-income countries. Her focus on implementing evidence-based interventions, youth engagement in health policy, and bridging the gap between science, policy, and society demonstrates her dedication to improving public health outcomes. She holds a PhD in Public Health and Nutrition from the University of Delhi and has various publications in peer-reviewed journals including Nature, Lancet, Lancet Oncology, and BMJ to her credit.

CANCER PREVENTION AND CONTROL

• Access Cancer Care India (2021 - 2025)
  Co-Principal Investigator
  Leading implementation science research for an integrated multicancer early detection package in collaboration with King's College London and WHO IARC, aimed at improving cancer outcomes in resource-constrained settings funded by the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases.
• State-level Vaccine Preparedness: Developing the Knowledge and Evidence Base to Drive Introduction of the HPV Vaccine in India (2021 - 2022)
  Public Health Researcher
  Conducted research for Cancer Research UK to identify challenges and opportunities for state governments planning to introduce the HPV vaccine. This involved an environmental scan of existing literature and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders in immunization.
• Designing Effective Communication to Improve Uptake of HPV Vaccination: Formative Research in West Bengal (2019)
  Co-Principal Investigator
  Collaborated with American Cancer Society and Ashoka University to understand barriers to HPV vaccine uptake among girls aged 9 to 14 in West Bengal. Conducted interviews and focus groups to inform the development of targeted messaging and a social and behavior change communication toolkit.

HEALTH ECONOMICS

• HPV Vaccination Program in India - using mathematical modeling and health economics to support the design of a sustainable vaccination program (2019 - 2022)
  Senior Public Health Researcher
  Developed an open-source HPV agent-based model for India, utilizing local epidemiological data to inform a sustainable vaccination strategy with the International Agency for Cancer Research .
• Investment Case for Adolescent Mental Health Interventions (2020 - 2022)
  Senior Public Health Researcher
  Analyzed the burden of adolescent mental health disorders, identifying effective interventions, and modeling costs and benefits to demonstrate return on investment, while surveying the policy environment for scalability.
• The Global Cost of Obesity: Present Costs and Future Estimates (2019-2020)
  Senior Public Health Researcher
  Partnered with the World Obesity Federation to quantify the economic and social impacts of obesity through a replicable modeling framework. This initiative aims to estimate the healthcare costs and indirect costs associated with obesity across different countries, addressing its significant role in increasing the risk of various noncommunicable diseases.

DISEASE STIGMA

• Understanding Cancer-Related Stigma and Barriers to NCD Diagnosis in India (2016-2018)
  Public Health Researcher
  Designed and planned a Regional Center for Research Excellence focused on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in India, in collaboration with the Public Health Foundation of India and Emory University under this NIH grant. Conducted a mixed-methods study to explore the prevalence of cancer-related stigma and investigate psychosocial barriers to diagnosis and treatment of cancer and diabetes, including fear, anxiety, and social stigma. The findings aimed to inform strategies for reducing stigma and improving access to care for individuals affected by NCDs.
• Weight Stigma among adolescents in three low-and middle-income countries: A formative research (2021 - 2022)
  Senior Public Health Researcher
  Conducted formative research for UNICEF on weight stigma among adolescents across Brazil, Indonesia, and South Africa, identifying recommendations for action to combat stigma.

NCD PROGRAM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION 

• Better Health Programme, Malaysia (2019 - 2022)
  Senior Public Health Researcher
  Served as the implementation partner for the Better Health Programme in Malaysia, employing a community-driven approach to combat the rising incidence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). This initiative focused on leveraging community health volunteers (CHVs) to implement evidence-based obesity prevention interventions within the urban B40 population, enhancing CHV capacity to promote community health, alter the obesogenic environment, and improve health literacy about NCD risk factors.

BEHAVIOUR CHANGE AND HEALTH PROMOTION

• Development of Evidence Briefs for Adolescents (2017 - Present)
  Associate Project Director
  Developing evidence briefs focused on behavior change interventions addressing NCD risk factors such as unhealthy diet and physical activity for adolescents in India, starting with a prototype on one risk factor.
• Digital Communication Toolkit: Best Practices for Organizations in India (2016 - 2017)
  Public Health Researcher
  Developed a toolkit incorporating best practices for digital health communication to enhance public health initiatives, based on formative research with NGOs and college students.

ADVOCACY AND CAPACITY BUILDING 

• Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) – ENGAGE Program on Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health (2018 - 2019)
  Project Director
  Directed the YSEALI-ENGAGE Program - funded by the US Embassy, Jakarta - to empower young leaders to tackle noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health issues within their communities. The program fostered connections with regional and global businesses, institutions, and experts, equipping participants with the skills and relationships needed to drive positive health changes tailored to the Southeast Asian context.
• NextGen Leaders Program: Building Capacity for NCD Advocacy in East Africa (2016 - 2017)
  Project Director
  Led the NextGen Leaders Program, designed to cultivate emerging leaders within the Young Professionals Chronic Disease Network (YP-CDN) network to advocate for NCD policy change. The program provided training, mentorship, and practical experience in key NCD policy and research institutions, enabling participants to effectively influence public policy and implement advocacy initiatives in their home countries.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT

• Impact Analysis of The Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance (2019 and 2023)
  Project Director
  Led the impact analysis of the India Alliance, conducting scientometric analysis, surveys of fellows, and collecting impact stories through case studies to evaluate the funding's effects over a decade (2008-2019) for both 2019 and 2023. Identified five key impact areas demonstrating the Alliance's success in advancing scientific discovery and innovation to improve health in India by supporting top scientific talent and implementing policies to foster a robust research ecosystem.

• Youth Delegate, 69th and 70th World Health Assembly
• RTI Early Career Researcher Award
• British Heart Foundation Award to attend Global Prevention Strategies for Noncommunicable Diseases course in Oxford, United Kingdom
• RTI Highly Published Author Award
• Gold Medal, MSc and BSc from the University of Delhi
• Dr. Sushma Palmer Scholarship for outstanding PhD research
• Best Training Material, 27th Annual American Public Health Association Public Health Materials Contest for Digital Communication Toolkit: Best Practices for Organizations in India

• Microsoft Office Suite: Proficient in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Project, and Access.
• Quantitative Analysis Software: Experienced in SPSS for statistical analysis.
• Qualitative Analysis Software: Skilled in using NVivo for qualitative research and data analysis.

• Denny, L., Kataria, I., Huang, L., & Schmeler, K. M. (2024). Cervical cancer kills 300,000 people a year - here's how to speed up its elimination. Nature, 626(7997), 30–32. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00241-2
• Measurement of cancer stigma in India: challenges and opportunities, Kataria, I., Sethuraman, L., Nayak, P., Oswal., Purushotham, A., Lancet Regional health – Southeast Asia, 24, 1-2, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lansea.2024.100408
• Tackling syndemics by integrating infectious and noncommunicable diseases in health systems of low- and middle-income countries: A narrative systematic review, Jackson-Morris, A., Masyuko, S., Morrell, L., Kataria, I., Kocher, E. L., & Nugent, R., PLOS global public health, 4(5), e0003114, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0003114
• Improving access to cancer care among rural populations in India: Development of a validated tool for health system capacity assessment, Mallafré-Larrosa, M., Chandran, A., Oswal, K., Kataria, I., Purushotham, A., Sankaranarayanan, R., Swaminathan, R., Rebello, R., Isaac, R., Kuriakose, M., Sullivan, R., Basu, P. ACCI Consortium., Cancer Med., 13(14), e7343, 10.1002/cam4.7343
• Formative qualitative research on the potential for digital solutions to address diabetes care gaps in Tanzania and Sri Lanka, Jackson-Morris, A. M., Calopietro, M. J., Krishnamurthy Reddiar, S., Kataria, I., Ramaiya, K., Sumanathilleke, M. R., Wickramasinghe, C., Salum, B., Ubuguyu, O., Ngilangwa, D. P., Shayo, F. K., Sinnathamby, V., & Sandunika de Silva, A. H. T. L., BMJ open, 14(6), e078845, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-078845
• Changing the global obesity narrative to recognize and reduce weight stigma: A position statement from the World Obesity Federation, Nutter, S., Eggerichs, L. A., Nagpal, T. S., Ramos Salas, X., Chin Chea, C., Saiful, S., Ralston, J., Barata-Cavalcanti, O., Batz, C., Baur, L. A., Birney, S., Bryant, S., Buse, K., Cardel, M. I., Chugh, A., Cuevas, A., Farmer, M., Ibrahim, A., Kataria, I., Kotz, C., … Yusop, S., Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 25(1), e13642, https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13642
• Women, power, and cancer: a Lancet Commission, Ginsburg, O., Vanderpuye, V., Beddoe, A. M., Bhoo-Pathy, N., Bray, F., Caduff, C., Florez, N., Fadhil, I., Hammad, N., Heidari, S., Kataria, I., Kumar, S., Liebermann, E., Moodley, J., Mutebi, M., Mukherji, D., Nugent, R., So, W. K. W., Soto-Perez-de-Celis, E., Unger-Saldaña, K., … Soerjomataram, I., Lancet (London, England), 402(10417), 2113–2166, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01701-4
• Strengthening evidence to inform health systems: opportunities for the WHO and partners to accelerate progress on non-communicable diseases, Hyder, A. A., Rylance, S., Al Saegh, A., Feigin, V. L., Kataria, I., Laatikainen, T., Lee, L., Mahendradhata, Y., Marten, R., Mikkelsen, B., Miranda, J. J., Nugent, R., Owolabi, M., Sullivan, R., Virani, S. S., Reddy, K. S., & WHO NCD R&I TAG, BMJ global health, 8(11), e013994, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013994
• Health and economic effects of introducing single-dose or two-dose human papillomavirus vaccination in India, M de Carvalho, T., Man, I., Georges, D., Saraswati, L. R., Bhandari, P., Kataria, I., Siddiqui, M., Muwonge, R., Lucas, E., Sankaranarayanan, R., Basu, P., Berkhof, J., Bogaards, J. A., & Baussano, I., BMJ global health, 8(11), e012580, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2023-012580
• India rolls out HPV vaccination, Burki, T. K., Kataria, I. & Mehrotra, R., The Lancet Oncology, 24, 4, e147
• Accelerating policy response to curb non-communicable diseases: an imperative to mitigate the dual public health crises of non-communicable diseases and COVID-19 in India, Shrivastav, R., Rawal, T., Kataria, I., Mehrotra, R., Bassi, S., & Arora, M., The Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia, 10, 100132, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lansea.2022.100132
• Are advertising policies affirmative in restricting the marketing of foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) in India?: evidence from SWOT Analysis, Bassi, S., Bahl, D., Gopal, S., Sethi, V., Backholer, K., Gavaravarapu, S. M., Babu, G. R., Ghosh-Jerath, S., Bhatia, N., Aneja, K., Kataria, I., Mishra, P., De Wagt, A., & Arora, M., The Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia, 21, 100315, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lansea.2023.100315
• Weight stigma among adolescents in three low- and middle-income countries, Kataria, I., Jackson-Morris, A., Jewell, J., Williams, DA., Bhandari, P., Sharma, D., Lai, J., Jain, T. & Colozza, D., Journal of Global Health, 12, 04098
• Awareness, perceptions, and choices of physicians pertaining to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in India: A formative research study, Kataria, I., Siddiqui, M., Treiman, K., Foley, S., Anand, M., Biswas, S., Shastri, D., Bhatla, N., Radhakrishnan, D., Mamidi, P. & Sankaranarayanan, R., Vaccine: X, 12, 100228, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvacx.2022.100228
• Community priorities for obesity prevention among low-income adults in Kuala Lumpur: A discrete choice experiment, Kocher, E., Wood, D., Lim, S-C., Jackson-Morris, A., Kataria, I., Ngongo, C., Sham, Z., Chandran, A., Nugent, R. & Mustapha, F. I., Health Promotion International, 37, 6, 12
• Dietary practices, food purchasing, and perceptions about healthy food availability and affordability: a cross-sectional study of low-income Malaysian adults, Eng, C.W., Lim, S.C., Ngongo, C., Sham Z.H., Kataria, I., Chandran, A., Mustapha F.I., BMC Public Health, 22, 192
• Youth priorities for global health, Kataria, I., Nat Med, 27, 1497, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-021-01474-8
• Perceived, experienced, and internalized cancer stigma: Perspectives of cancer patients and caregivers in India, Squiers, L., Siddiqui, M., Kataria, I., Dhillon, P. K., Aggarwal, A., Bann, C., Lynch, M., & Nyblade, L., RTI Press, RR-0044-2104, https://doi.org/10.3768/rtipress.2021.rr.0044.2104
• A research agenda for non-communicable disease prevention and control in India, Kataria, I., Siddiqui, M., Gillespie, T., Goodman, M., Dhillon, P. K., Bann, C., & Squiers, L., Health research policy and systems, 18(1), 126
• Development and evaluation of a digital, community-based intervention to reduce noncommunicable disease risk in a low-resource urban setting in Malaysia: a research protocol, Kataria, I., Ngongo, C., Lim, S.C., Kocher, E., Kowal, P., Chandran, A., Kual, A., Khaw, F.M., Mustapha, F.I., Implement Sci Communications, 1, 87
• Addressing chronic noncommunicable diseases is essential to strengthen urban resilience to communicable pandemic diseases, Kataria, I., Morris, A.M.J., Cities & Health, 1-3
• A systematic review of the evidence on peer education programmes for promoting the sexual and reproductive health of young people in India, Siddiqui, M., Kataria, I., Watson, K., Chandra-Mouli, VM., Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, 28:1, 1741494
• The global return on investment from preventing and treating adolescent mental disorders and suicide: a modelling study, Watkins, D., Hale, J., Hutchinson, B., Kontis, V., Kataria, I., Nugent, R., BMJ Global Health, 7, e007759
• Exploring the impact of COVID-19 movement control orders on eating habits and physical activity in low-resource urban settings in Malaysia, Lim, S.C., Kataria, I., Ngongo, C., Usek V.S., Kudtarkar, S.R., Chandran, A., Mustapha, F.I., Global Health Promotion, 29, 4, 9
• Youth engagement for NCD prevention policies: Rising NCD in India and youth as change enablers, Kataria, I., Fagan, L., Lancet, 1788-1799
• Turning the tide on NCDs by engaging the next generation, Bhatnagar, P., Fisher, J., Renzella, J., Kataria, I., & Jarvis, J., Lancet, 390, 1829-1830
• Youth engagement for NCD prevention policies: Rising NCD in India and youth as change enablers, Kataria, I., Cruz, J. L., Global Heart, 12(3), 245-246
• Community health workers: An underappreciated asset to tackle NCD, Jarvis, J., Kataria, I., Murgor, M., & Mbau, L., Global Heart, 11(4), 455-457
• Metabolic syndrome among young business process outsourcing industry employees, Chadha, R., Pathak, R., & Kataria, I., The Indian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics, 53(3), 286-299
• Association of perceived psychosocial stress with metabolic syndrome among young adults in urban workforce, Kataria, I., Chadha, R., & Pathak, R., The Indian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics, 52(4), 415-428
• Metabolic syndrome in adults: Relation with diet and other lifestyle factors, Kataria, I., Chadha, R., & Pathak, R., Reviews in Health Care, 6(3), 99-124
• Dietary and lifestyle modification in metabolic syndrome: A review of randomized control trials in different population groups, Kataria, I., Chadha, R., & Pathak, R., Reviews in Health Care, 4(4), 209-230
• Knowledge and practices of salt retailers on iodized salt and the iodine content of salt sold in an Urban Resettlement Colony, New Delhi, Bahl, D., Kataria, I., Bakshi, N., Aslesh, O. P, Goswami, A., Yadav, K., Pandav, C. S, & Karmarkar, M. G., The Indian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics, 47, 71-75